Documentaries

WSTV Digital Media's award-winning documentaries provide an in-depth look at significant places and events in the city’s history. Most are available for purchase on request.

Merger: Making the Twin City (2013) In 1913, Winston and Salem, two independent municipalities, merged their governments and their identities under the hyphenated name of Winston-Salem. It was a unique consolidation in the history of North Carolina. Virtually every other county grew up around a single, central municipality. From the start, however, Forsyth County had two – delineated only by the centerline of a street. Merger: Making the Twin City takes the viewer back in time for an informative and entertaining look at the origins of Salem in 1766, the establishment of Winston in 1849, and their sometimes rocky path to consolidation as North Carolina’s “Twin City.”

Engine Four (2007) In 1951, Winston-Salem became the first city in North Carolina, and just the second south of the Mason-Dixon line, to integrate a firehouse. Told through the voices of four surviving firemen of that integrated company, this entertaining and inspiring documentary shows how an improbable alliance of a black college professor, a white populist politician and the city’s business elite enabled eight black firemen and seven white firemen to ignore the conventions of the Jim Crow South and live and work together. Winner of four Telly Finalist Awards as well as the 3CMA 2008 Savvy for Best One-Time Program. Running time 68 minutes.

Chasing the Clouds (2003) When it opened, Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem was hailed as one of the finest airports in the country. Its facilities help defeat the Axis during World War II, and later gave rise to one of the nation’s leading airlines. “Chasing the Clouds” uses rare photographs and early movies of the airport to tell how a few far-sighted civic leaders worked together to give Winston-Salem the best airport in North Carolina, and how that airport fell victim to the larger forces that came to shape commercial aviation. Winner of a Telly Finalist Award as well as the 3CMA 2004 Savvy for Best One-Time Program.

This Old Chamber (2004) Go behind the scenes to get an inside look at the restoration of the City Council Chamber in City Hall. Along the way, you’ll learn a few things about the history of City Hall, too. Winner of a 2004 Videographer Award of Excellence.

The Yadkin and You (2001) Join host Dick Everhart for an entertaining and informative look at how erosion and other factors impair water quality in the Yadkin River. Learn how poor water quality raises the cost of many goods and services we use everyday, and find out how everyone who lives in the basin can protect water quality in the river. “The Yadkin and You” combines beautiful photography and imaginative use of locations into 30 minutes of educational fun for viewers of all ages.

Reynoldstown: A Community Story (2000) Learn about the historic Reynoldstown neighborhood in Winston-Salem – built by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for its workers – and the remarkable spirit and accomplishments of its residents. Winner of a Telly Finalist Award as well as the 3CMA 2002 Savvy for Best One-Time Program

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